Home power distribution with multiphase bridging

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices for a home power networking system including a first wireless access point (AP) configured to perform wired communications over a first circuit connected to the first wireless AP. The first wireless AP further performs wireless communications with a second wireless AP, wherein the second wireless access point is connected to a second circuit and is not connected to the first circuit. The first wireless AP provides wireless transport through the second wireless AP to bridge communications between the first circuit and the second circuit.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/697,775, titled “Home Power Distribution with Multiphase Bridging”and filed on Nov. 27, 2019, which claims benefit of priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/772,706, titled “Home Power Distributionwith Multiphase Bridging” and filed on Nov. 29, 2018, which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully and completelyset forth herein.

The claims in the instant application are different than those of theparent application and/or other related applications. The Applicanttherefore rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope made in the parentapplication and/or any predecessor application in relation to theinstant application. Any such previous disclaimer and the citedreferences that it was made to avoid, may need to be revisited. Further,any disclaimer made in the instant application should not be read intoor against the parent application and/or other related applications.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention generally relates to home networking systems,and in particular wired and wireless communication interworking.

Description of the Related Art

Modern homes typically utilize a plurality of wired and wirelesselectronic devices, which may operate on two or more wired circuits.Effectively operating a home networking system to accommodate anincreasing number and variety of types of these devices may presenttechnical difficulties. Accordingly, improvements in the field aredesired.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments are described related to home networking systems andwireless access points (APs) configured to interwork between wired andwireless communication media.

In some embodiments, a first wireless AP performs wired communicationsover a first circuit connected to the first wireless AP, and performswireless communications with a second wireless AP, wherein the secondwireless access point is connected to a second circuit and is notconnected to the first circuit.

In some embodiments, the first wireless AP provides wireless transportthrough the second wireless AP to bridge communications between thefirst circuit and the second circuit.

In some embodiments, the first wireless AP and the second wireless APmay both be connected to the first circuit, and the first and secondwireless APs may not be able to wirelessly communicate with each other.In these embodiments, an alien bridge may be configured within the firstwireless AP, and the alien bridge may be configured to establishcommunication between the first wireless AP and the second wireless APvia the first circuit.

This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of thesubject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that the above-described features are merely examples andshould not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subjectmatter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparentfrom the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention may be obtained when thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment is consideredin conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a table illustrating orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM) control parameters for various wired communicationtechnologies, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plurality of nodes inseparate domains of a home networking system, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating direct node-to-node communication,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates how inter-domain bridges transport communicationsbetween different wire classes, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a protocol stack diagram illustrating an alien-domain bridge,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a top-down illustration of a home networking system includinga plurality of circuits deployed in a home, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates the home networking system of FIG. 6 and furtherillustrates the coverage range of four wireless access points of thehome networking system;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart diagram illustrating a method for providingwireless transport to bridge communications between a first circuit anda second circuit, in some embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless access point,according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an example block diagram of a wireless access point(AP), according to some embodiments.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the drawings and detailed description theretoare not intended to limit the invention to the particular formdisclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Terms

The following is a glossary of terms used in the present application:

Memory Medium—any of various types of memory devices or storage devices.The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium,e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; a computer system memoryor random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, RambusRAM, etc.; or a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic media, e.g., ahard drive, optical storage, or ROM, EPROM, FLASH, etc. The memorymedium may comprise other types of memory as well, or combinationsthereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a firstcomputer in which the programs are executed, and/or may be located in asecond different computer which connects to the first computer over anetwork, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the secondcomputer may provide program instructions to the first computer forexecution. The term “memory medium” may include two or more memorymediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in differentcomputers that are connected over a network.

Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physicaltransmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physicaltransmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical or opticalsignals.

Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devicescomprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via aprogrammable or hardwired interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs(Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Theprogrammable function blocks may range from fine grained (combinatoriallogic or look up tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units orprocessor cores). A programmable hardware element may also be referredto as “reconfigurable logic”.

Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)—this term is intended tohave the full breadth of its ordinary meaning. The term ASIC is intendedto include an integrated circuit customized for a particularapplication, rather than a general purpose programmable device, althoughan ASIC may contain programmable processor cores as building blocks.Cell phone processors, MP3 player chips, and many other single-functionICs are examples of ASICs. An ASIC is usually described in a hardwaredescription language such as Verilog or VHDL.

Program—the term “program” is intended to have the full breadth of itsordinary meaning. The term “program” includes 1) a software programwhich may be stored in a memory and is executable by a processor or 2) ahardware configuration program useable for configuring a programmablehardware element or ASIC.

Software Program—the term “software program” is intended to have thefull breadth of its ordinary meaning, and includes any type of programinstructions, code, script and/or data, or combinations thereof, thatmay be stored in a memory medium and executed by a processor. Exemplarysoftware programs include programs written in text-based programminglanguages, e.g., imperative or procedural languages, such as C, C++,PASCAL, FORTRAN, COBOL, JAVA, assembly language, etc.; graphicalprograms (programs written in graphical programming languages); assemblylanguage programs; programs that have been compiled to machine language;scripts; and other types of executable software. A software program maycomprise two or more software programs that interoperate in some manner.

Hardware Configuration Program—a program, e.g., a netlist or bit file,that can be used to program or configure a programmable hardware elementor ASIC.

Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems,including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system,workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digitalassistant (PDA), grid computing system, or other device or combinationsof devices. In general, the term “computer system” can be broadlydefined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having atleast one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”)—any of various types of computersystems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wirelesscommunications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones orsmart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gamingdevices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™,iPhone™), wearable devices (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses), laptops,PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, orother handheld devices, etc. In general, the term “UE” or “UE device”can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and/ortelecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easilytransported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

Wireless Device—any of various types of computer systems or devices thatperform wireless communications. A wireless device can be portable (ormobile) or may be stationary or fixed at a certain location. A UE is anexample of a wireless device.

Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computersystem (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g.,circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without userinput directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thusthe term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manuallyperformed or specified by the user, where the user provides input todirectly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiatedby input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that areperformed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are notperformed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform.For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting eachfield and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typinginformation, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is fillingout the form manually, even though the computer system may update theform in response to the user actions. The form may be automaticallyfilled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g.,software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of theform and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answersto the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automaticfilling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of theform (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields butrather they are being automatically completed). The presentspecification provides various examples of operations beingautomatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

Configured to—Various components may be described as “configured to”perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broadrecitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the taskor tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured toperform the task even when the component is not currently performingthat task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured toelectrically connect a module to another module, even when the twomodules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be abroad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that”performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component canbe configured to perform the task even when the component is notcurrently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structurecorresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits.

Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, forconvenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpretedas including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that isconfigured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not toinvoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph six, interpretation for thatcomponent.

Home Networking

Embodiments herein present methods, systems, and devices to improveconnectivity and functionality within a home networking scenario. G.hnis one example of a unified wired home networking standard. Embodimentsherein may be employed within the context of the G.hn standard, oralternatively they may be implemented within other home networkingscenarios. The G.hn standard deviates from some other approaches takento standardize home networking, which typically utilize a single medium(e.g., a power line, twisted-pair phone line, or coaxial cable).Instead, as shown in FIG. 1 , G.hn defines a unified transmissionprotocol optimized for multiple media, such as phone-line baseband,power-line baseband, coax baseband, and coax radio frequency (RF) media.

A G.hn network may consist of one or more domains, as illustrated inFIG. 2 . In G.hn, a domain may constitute all nodes that can directlycommunicate and/or interfere with each other. More specifically, G.hndefines power line, coax, and twisted pair as separate domains. As usedherein, a “domain” may be taken to refer to the set of all nodes thatcan directly communicate with each other, through either wired orwireless communications. As one example, a power line carrier (PLC), awireless access point (AP) connected through a wired connection to thePLC, and the set of wireless devices camped on the wireless AP may allbe understood to exist within a single domain. In some embodiments, asingle power drop may branch into two or more separate PLCs that arerouted to different areas of a home, where each PLC operates on anorthogonal phase to the other PLCs. In these embodiments, each PLC,together with any devices connected directly or indirectly to therespective PLC, may constitute a respective domain. Furthermore, as usedherein, the term “circuit” may be used to refer to a particular wiredconnection (e.g., one of the plurality of PLCs, in some embodiments).

Accordingly, interference typically does not occur between differentdomains of the same network, with the possible exception of crosstalkbetween closely routed wires. In some embodiments, one of the nodes maybe chosen as the domain master (DM). The DM may control operation of allnodes in the domain, including admission to the domain, bandwidthreservation, resignation, and other management operations. In someembodiments, if a DM fails, the DM function may be passed to anothernode in the domain.

A domain may operate in one of three modes: peer-to-peer mode (PM),centralized mode (CM), or unified mode (UM). Different domains withinthe home network may use different ones of these modes of operation. InPM, only peer-to-peer (P2P) communications may be utilized in thedomain. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , direct signal trafficmay be established between two communicating nodes (e.g., between nodesA and B). Frames addressed to nodes outside the domain may be sent tothe node associated with the inter-domain bridge. In other words, theinter-domain bridge 302 associated with node C 304 a may serve as anintermediary to route traffic outside of the illustrated domain, whilethe domain master node D 362 may control operation (e.g., direct trafficand scheduling) of the other nodes within the domain. In someembodiments (not illustrated in FIG. 3 ) the inter-domain bridge may belocated on the domain master node.

Inter-Domain Bridging

The inter-domain bridge (IDB) may be utilized to interconnect differentmedia, as described within the G.hn standard or in other home networkingstandards. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4 , the IDB may bridgecoax cable and phone line domains, or phone line and power line domains.

In some embodiments, wired home networking standards may not include aprovision for bridging with alien domains (e.g. for bridging with802.11/Bluetooth™/Z-Wave™/Zigbee™/Wi-SUN™ wireless networks). FIG. 5depicts an example protocol stack for a bridge between the G.hn networkand an alien wireless domain (802.11ax in the example shown), the intentof which is to provide wireless devices access to gateways and otherresources in the G.hn wired home network.

Previous implementations to extend home networking facilities towireless devices may fail to address an important considerationencountered in home wiring arrangements. For example, a typical homewiring plan may distribute runs over multiple separate circuitsoperating in multiple respective phases from a primary power drop to thehome, as shown in the example home wiring plan illustrated in FIG. 6 .As illustrated, FIG. 6 shows four separate circuits indicated in dashedlines with dashes of different lengths emanating from a common drop intothe home (top left of FIG. 6 ). In some embodiments, each of theplurality of circuits may connected to a common ground, and they may becommunicatively separated from each other by operating according tomutually orthogonal phases, isolating any domain present on one phasefrom those on another.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , each of the separate circuits may beconnected to a respective wireless AP. FIG. 7 illustrates the coverageareas of each of these wireless APs, which at least partially overlap intheir coverage areas so that, for example, wireless AP 706 may becapable of communicating wirelessly with wireless AP 708.

Multiphase Wireless Bridging

In some embodiments, in a multiphase power distribution network,wireless transport may be configured by a wireless AP to bridgedisparate phases (i.e., between separate circuits) of the installedwiring plant. The wireless transport may seamlessly interconnect phasesof the wireless distribution that are otherwise not visible to oneanother. This may be in addition to and coincident with the primary taskof a wireless AP of granting wireless devices access the wired homenetwork.

In some embodiments, a wired-to-wireless bridge may be provided at eachwireless access point (AP), which may provide access for a set ofassociated client devices to the wired network facilities. In someembodiments, a deliberate overlap between wireless APs may be utilizedin coverage areas to permit internetworking between power phases. Insome embodiments, multi-band and/or multi-channel operation may permiteach AP to service its wireless client base coincident with itsinternetworking responsibilities.

While some embodiments herein are described in reference to the G.hnhome networking standard, other embodiments may apply methods anddevices described herein to other networking standards and wiredcommunication technologies, such as HomePlug™, HomePlug AV™, HomePlugAV2™, and HD-PLC™, among other possibilities. Further, the wirelesstechnology utilized for performing wireless communications may be of avariety of types, such as WiFi, Bluetooth™, Z-Wave™, Zigbee™, orWi-SUN™, among other possibilities. In some embodiments, operation maybe allowed of multiple standard waveforms in parallel. Advantageously,this may permit proprietary extensions to tune wireless transport. Forexample, tailored bin loading may be utilized to avoid noise and/orinterference or otherwise account for uneven channel capacity. In someembodiments, auto-sensing on a wired network may enable each wireless APto determine which other wireless AP nodes are able talk to it viasignals over the wired connection. For example, there may be two or morewireless AP nodes physically connected to the same wired circuit. Eachpair of APs on a wired circuit may exchange signals to determine theavailable bandwidth between them, and this information may becommunicated to a domain master node to improve network traffic routing.

In some embodiments, automated discovery may permit nodes distributedthroughout the wired domain to advertise their availability and/orascertain the availability of other nodes within the domain, independentof the phase to which each is connected. For example, each wireless APmay advertise its traffic availability to one or more other wirelessAPs. Tailored routing between nodes may reduce internetworking latencyand increase overall system throughput. For example, the DM node maydetermine dynamic traffic routing based at least in part on theavailability of one or more APs, whereby traffic is routed to moreavailable APs to reduce internetworking latency and increase overallsystem throughput, in some embodiments. Additionally or alternatively,dynamic traffic routing may be performed by the DM node based at leastin part on available wired and/or wireless bandwidth, which may varydynamically depending on circuit loading and the movement of activedevices in the building.

In some embodiments, frequency reuse may allow the network to betailored to dynamically alter the availability of one phase of the powerdistribution, if desired, to accommodate a particular traffic load. Forexample, video or other media distribution may be confined to oneportion of the home. Advantageously, this may extend the reach of theconventional wired-to-wireless (i.e. alien domain) bridge withoutadversely affecting operation of the multiphase wireless bridge.

FIG. 8 —Flowchart for Circuit Bridge

FIG. 8 is a flowchart diagram illustrating a method for a wireless AP toserve as a bridge between separate circuits of a home networking system,according to some embodiments. Note that while elements of the method ofFIG. 8 are described substantially with reference to home networkingtechnology, part or all of the method may be used in conjunction withother networking technologies and wired and wireless communicationtechnologies, as desired. In some embodiments the wired communicationsover a circuit of the home networking system may include communicationsover a power line carrier, a coax cable, a phone line, or another typeof power line. Additionally, the wireless communications by the wirelessAPs may include WiFi or another type of WLAN communication. However, inother embodiments one or both of the wired and wireless communicationsmay operate according to other types of communication technologies, asdesired. The method shown in FIG. 8 may be used in conjunction with anyof the computer systems or devices shown in the above Figures, amongother devices. In various embodiments, some of the elements shown may beperformed concurrently, in a different order than shown, substituted forby other elements, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also beperformed as desired. As shown, the method may operate as follows.

At 802, a first wireless AP performs wired communications over a firstcircuit connected to the wireless AP. In some embodiments, the firstcircuit may include a power line carrier (PLC) implemented as part of ahome networking system, and the first wireless AP may be connectedthrough a wired connection to the first circuit. The first circuit maybe one of a plurality of circuits that branch out from a primary powerdrop into a home, and each circuit of the plurality of circuits mayoperate according to mutually orthogonal phases. Even though theplurality of circuits may share a common ground, in some embodiments,the plurality of circuits may be communicatively insulated from eachother.

In some embodiments, the first circuit may be communicatively coupled toan external network. For example, the home may subscribe to an internetservice that is delivered to the first wireless AP via the firstcircuit, and the first wireless AP may in turn be configured to providethat service to a plurality of wireless devices within wireless range ofthe wireless AP.

At 804, the first wireless AP performs wireless communications with asecond wireless AP, wherein the second wireless AP is connected to asecond circuit and is not connected to the first circuit. For example,the first and second APs may overlap in their coverage areas, such thatthey are capable of wirelessly communicating with each another. In someembodiments, the first and second circuits may be ones of the pluralityof circuits originating from the primary power drop. For example, thefirst and second circuits may correspond to two of the circuitsillustrated in FIG. 6 , and the first and second wireless APs maycorrespond to the respective wireless APs illustrated in FIG. 7 , as oneexample. In some embodiments, each of the first and second wireless APsfurther provide wireless communication services to one or morerespective wireless devices. The first wireless AP, the second wirelessAP, the first circuit, and the second circuit may all be part of a homepower distribution system.

At 806, the first wireless AP provides wireless transport through thesecond wireless AP to bridge communications between the first circuitand the second circuit. In some embodiments, in bridging between thefirst circuit and the second circuit, the first wireless AP isconfigured to provide an alien bridge from a wired domain associatedwith the first circuit and a wireless domain associated with the secondwireless AP. For example, the first wireless AP may utilize a protocolstack similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5 , to route communicationsfrom the wired communication medium to the wireless communicationmedium, and/or vice versa.

In some embodiments, each of the first and second circuits operateaccording to a separate power phase, and providing wireless transport tobridge between the first and second circuits enables internetworkingbetween disparate power phases. In some embodiments, the wireless AP isconfigured to automatically detect a phase of a power distribution ofthe first circuit.

In various embodiments, each of the first and second wireless APs mayoperate according to any of a variety of wireless technologies,including but not limited to WiFi, Bluetooth™, Z-Wave™, Zigbee™, orWi-SUN™.

In some embodiments, the first wireless AP is designated as a domainmaster. In these embodiments, the first wireless AP may receive anadvertised availability from the second AP (and potentially from one ormore additional APs), and may route traffic based at least in part onthe advertised availability to accomplish one or both of reducedinternetworking latency and increased overall system throughput.

FIG. 9 —Bridge Between Wireless Access Points

FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram illustrating a method for a wireless AP toserve as a bridge to another wireless access point on a single circuitof a home networking system, according to some embodiments. In someembodiments, the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP may bothbe connected to a first circuit, and the first and second wireless APsmay not be able to wirelessly communicate with each other. For example,the first and second wireless APs may each be connected through a wiredconnection with a PLC, but may not be in wireless communicative range ofeach other (e.g., either because of the distance between them and/orbecause of intervening walls, etc.). In these circumstances, the methodsteps described in reference to FIG. 9 provide means to establishcommunication between the first and second wireless APs using an alienbridge, as described in greater detail below.

Note that while elements of the method of FIG. 9 are describedsubstantially with reference to home networking technology, part or allof the method may be used in conjunction with other networkingtechnologies and wired and wireless communication technologies, asdesired. In some embodiments the wired communications over a circuit ofthe home networking system may include communications over a power linecarrier, a coax cable, a phone line, or another type of power line.Additionally, the wireless communications by the wireless APs mayinclude WiFi or another type of WLAN communication. However, in otherembodiments one or both of the wired and wireless communications mayoperate according to other types of communication technologies, asdesired. The method shown in FIG. 9 may be used in conjunction with anyof the computer systems or devices shown in the above Figures, amongother devices. In various embodiments, some of the elements shown may beperformed concurrently, in a different order than shown, substituted forby other elements, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also beperformed as desired. As shown, the method may operate as follows.

At 902, a first wireless AP performs wired communications over a firstcircuit. A second wireless AP may also be connected to the first circuitand configured to perform wired communications over the first circuit.However, the first and second wireless APs may be out of wirelesscommunicative range of one another. For example, the first and secondwireless APs may be separated by a large distance or a thick insulatingwall (e.g., concrete or steel) such that they are each unable to receivea sufficiently strong signal from the other AP to effectivelycommunicate.

The first wireless AP, the second wireless AP, and the first circuit mayall be part of a home power distribution system. The home powerdistribution system may further include a primary power drop branchinginto a plurality of circuits including the first circuit, and eachcircuit of the plurality of circuits may operate according to a separatepower phase.

At 904, an alien bridge may be configured within the first wireless AP,and the alien bridge may be configured to establish communicationbetween the first wireless AP and the second wireless AP via the firstcircuit. The first and second wireless access points may each beconfigured to provide wireless communication services to one or morerespective wireless devices. In establishing communication between thefirst wireless access point and the second wireless access point throughthe first circuit, the alien bridge may be provided from a wired domainassociated with the circuit to a wireless domain associated with thesecond wireless access point.

In some embodiments, the first wireless access point is designated asdomain master, and the first wireless access point is further configuredto receive an advertised availability from the second access point. Thefirst wireless device may then route traffic based at least in part onthe advertised availability to accomplish one or both of reducedinternetworking latency and increased overall system throughput.

FIG. 10 —Block Diagram of a Wireless Access Point

FIG. 10 illustrates an example block diagram of a wireless access point(AP) 104, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the AP of FIG.10 is merely one example of a possible AP. As shown, the AP 104 mayinclude processor(s) 304 which may execute program instructions for theaccess point 104. The processor(s) 304 may also be coupled to memorymanagement unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addressesfrom the processor(s) 304 and translate those addresses to locations inmemory (e.g., memory 360 and read only memory (ROM) 350) or to othercircuits or devices.

The AP 104 may include at least one network port 370. The network port370 may be configured to couple through a wired connection to a remotenetwork such as a telephone or internet network and provide a pluralityof devices, such as user equipment (UE) devices, access to the networkas part of a home networking system.

The network port 370 (or an additional network port) may also oralternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., acore network of a cellular service provider. The core network mayprovide mobility related services and/or other services to a pluralityof devices, such as UE devices. In some cases, the network port 370 maycouple to a telephone network via the core network, and/or the corenetwork may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devicesserviced by the cellular service provider).

The AP 104 may include at least one wireless transceiver, which mayinclude one or more radios 330, one or more communication chains 332 andone or more antennas 334. The wireless transceiver and may be furtherconfigured to communicate with UE device. Communication chain 332 may bea receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio 330 may beconfigured to communicate via various wireless communication standards,including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, NR, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000,Wi-Fi, etc. Each of the antennas 334 may be configured to operate withina different frequency band, a different radio access technology, and/orwithin a separate WLAN network, in some embodiments.

The AP 104 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiplewireless communication standards. For example, as one possibility, theAP 104 may include an LTE or 5G NR radio for performing communicationaccording to LTE or 5G NR, as well as a Wi-Fi radio for performingcommunication according to Wi-Fi. In such a case, the AP 104 may becapable of operating as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi accesspoint. As another possibility, the AP 104 may include a multi-mode radiowhich is capable of performing communications according to any ofmultiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., NR and Wi-Fi, NR andUMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.). As still anotherpossibility, the AP 104 may be configured to act exclusively as a Wi-Fiaccess point, e.g., without cellular communication capability.

As described further subsequently herein, the AP 104 may includehardware and software components for implementing or supportingimplementation of features described herein, e.g., to support networkbridging according to any of the methods disclosed herein. Theprocessor(s) 304 of the access point 104 may be configured to implementor support implementation of part or all of the methods describedherein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memorymedium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium).Alternatively, the processor(s) 304 may be configured as a programmablehardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or asan ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combinationthereof. Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 304 of the AP 104,in conjunction with one or more of the other components 330, 332, 334,340, 350, 360, and/or 370, may be configured to implement or supportimplementation of part or all of the features described herein.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, theseembodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure, even where only a single embodiment is described withrespect to a particular feature. Examples of features provided in thedisclosure are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictiveunless stated otherwise. The above description is intended to cover suchalternatives, modifications, and equivalents as would be apparent to aperson skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The scope of the present disclosure includes any feature or combinationof features disclosed herein (either explicitly or implicitly), or anygeneralization thereof, whether or not it mitigates any or all of theproblems addressed herein. Accordingly, new claims may be formulatedduring prosecution of this application (or an application claimingpriority thereto) to any such combination of features. In particular,with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claimsmay be combined with those of the independent claims and features fromrespective independent claims may be combined in any appropriate mannerand not merely in the specific combinations enumerated in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a first wireless accesspoint, the method comprising: performing wired communications over afirst circuit connected to the first wireless access point, wherein thefirst circuit operates according to a first power phase; performingwireless communications with a second wireless access point, wherein thesecond wireless access point is connected to a second circuit and is notconnected to the first circuit, wherein the second circuit operatesaccording to a second power phase different from the first power phase;and providing wireless transport through the second wireless accesspoint to bridge communications between the first circuit and the secondcircuit, wherein in bridging communications between the first and secondcircuits, the first wireless access point is configured to provide analien bridge from a wired domain of the first circuit and a wirelessdomain of the second wireless access point, wherein providing wirelesstransport to bridge communications between the first and second circuitsenables internetworking between the first and second power phases. 2.The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: providing, by eachof the first and second wireless access points, wireless communicationservices to one or more respective wireless devices.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the method further comprises: automatically detecting aphase of a power distribution of the first circuit.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each of the first and second wireless access pointsoperate according to one or more of: WiFi; Bluetooth; Z-Wave; Zigbee; orWi-SUN.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless accesspoint is designated as domain master, wherein the method furthercomprises: receiving an advertised availability from the second accesspoint; and routing traffic based at least in part on the advertisedavailability to accomplish one or both of reduced internetworkinglatency and increased overall system throughput.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the first circuit comprises a power line carrier (PLC)implemented as part of a home networking system.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the first and second circuits originate from a primary powerdrop.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium comprisingprogram instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a firstwireless access point to: establish communication between the firstwireless access point and a second wireless access point using an alienbridge comprised within the first wireless access point through a wireddomain associated with a circuit, wherein the first and second wirelessaccess points are wired to the circuit, and wherein the first wirelessaccess point is out of wireless communication range with the secondwireless access point, wherein in establishing communication between thefirst wireless access point and the second wireless access point throughthe wired domain associated with the circuit, the program instructionsare further executable to cause the first wireless access point to:provide the alien bridge from the wired domain associated with thecircuit to a wireless domain associated with the second wireless accesspoint.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 8,wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause thefirst wireless access point to provide wireless communication servicesto one or more respective wireless devices.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium of claim 8, wherein each of the firstand second wireless access points operate according to one or more of:WiFi; Bluetooth; Z-Wave; Zigbee; or Wi-SUN.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium of claim 8, wherein the first wirelessaccess point is designated as domain master, wherein the programinstructions are further executable to cause the first wireless accesspoint to: receive an advertised availability from the second accesspoint; and route traffic based at least in part on the advertisedavailability.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium ofclaim 11, wherein routing traffic based at least in part on theadvertised availability accomplishes one or both of reducedinternetworking latency and increased overall system throughput.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 8, wherein thefirst circuit comprises a power line carrier (PLC) implemented as partof a home networking system.
 14. A method for operating a first wirelessaccess point, the method comprising: establishing communication betweenthe first wireless access point and a second wireless access point usingan alien bridge comprised within the first wireless access point througha wired domain associated with a circuit, wherein the first and secondwireless access points are wired to the circuit, and wherein the firstwireless access point is out of wireless communication range with thesecond wireless access point, wherein in establishing communicationbetween the first wireless access point and the second wireless accesspoint through the wired domain associated with the circuit, the methodfurther comprises: providing the alien bridge from the wired domainassociated with the circuit to a wireless domain associated with thesecond wireless access point.
 15. The method of claim 14, the methodfurther comprising: providing, by the first wireless access point,wireless communication services to one or more respective wirelessdevices.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the first andsecond wireless access points operate according to one or more of: WiFi;Bluetooth; Z-Wave; Zigbee; or Wi-SUN.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the wired domain utilizes wired communications over a power linecarrier (PLC), a coax cable, or a phone line.
 18. The method of claim14, wherein the first wireless access point is designated as domainmaster, wherein method further comprises: receiving an advertisedavailability from the second access point; and routing traffic based atleast in part on the advertised availability.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein routing traffic based at least in part on the advertisedavailability accomplishes one or both of reduced internetworking latencyand increased overall system throughput.
 20. The method of claim 14,wherein the first circuit comprises a power line carrier (PLC)implemented as part of a home networking system.